Yinyang Bowl (a) Recipe

Blanch the pork bones in a large stockpot: cover bones with cold water, bring to a rolling boil 5–7 minutes, then drain and rinse bones under hot water to remove scum.

Return cleaned bones to the pot, add 6 L fresh water, onion, ginger, garlic, dried shiitake and kombu. Bring to a strong simmer over medium-high heat.

Simmer vigorously (not a gentle simmer) for 6–12 hours, skimming foam occasionally, until the broth is rich, opaque, and milky. Add water as necessary to keep bones submerged.

Once done, strain the broth through a fine sieve into a clean container. Season with shoyu tare (120 ml), mirin (30 ml), sake (30 ml) and salt to taste — this yields the shoyu tonkotsu soup base. Keep hot until assembly.

Blanch chicken and pork bones for 5 minutes, drain and rinse to remove impurities.

In a clean pot, add bones, 4 L water, onion, garlic and ginger. Bring to a simmer and cook gently for 4–6 hours, skimming as needed. The result should be a clear but flavorful broth.

Remove bones and strain. In a saute pan, heat 2 tbs oil over medium heat, lightly saute 80 g red miso with 150 g white miso for a minute to bloom flavors (do not burn). Add a ladle of hot broth and whisk to make a smooth miso slurry, then incorporate into the pot of strained broth. Stir in miso tare (80 ml) and salt to taste. Keep warm.

If you don’t have pre-made tare, combine 120 ml soy sauce, 30 ml mirin and 30 ml sake for shoyu tare. For miso tare, mix miso paste with 2–3 tbs warm broth until loose (use the quantities above). Set both warm for final assembly.

Prepare small bowls of tare for finishing each bowl: about 30–60 ml tare per serving depending on desired saltiness (use more for shoyu, less for miso).

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil for the noodles. Cook fresh ramen noodles 90–120 seconds (follow package) until just al dente. Drain and rinse briefly under warm water if needed. Keep noodles portioned: 200 g per bowl.

Marinated Eggs (Ajitsuke Tamago)

Bring water to a gentle boil in a saucepan. Lower 4 eggs carefully and boil for 6 minutes for a jammy yolk. Immediately transfer to an ice bath to stop cooking. Peel shells gently when cool.

Make the egg marinade: combine 120 ml soy sauce, 60 ml mirin, 30 ml sake, 120 ml water and 10 g sugar. Submerge peeled eggs in marinade in a small container and refrigerate at least 4 hours, ideally overnight. For service, halve eggs and place one half per bowl.

Braised pork (kakuni): if not already cooked, braise 300 g pork belly in a mixture of 200 ml soy sauce, 200 ml water, 100 ml mirin, 50 ml sake, 50 g sugar and aromatics (ginger, scallion) over low heat 2–3 hours until tender. Reserve cubes and keep warm.

Chashu pork: slice rolled chashu into 6–8 mm slices and warm briefly in a pan with a tbsp of the braising liquid or tare.

Tempura shrimp: pat shrimp dry, make small incisions on belly to prevent curling and lightly dust with flour. Whisk tempura flour with ice-cold sparkling water until just combined — lumps are fine. Heat vegetable oil to 170–180°C (340–355°F). Dip shrimp into batter and fry 2–3 at a time until golden and crisp, about 1.5–2 minutes. Drain on a rack or paper towel. Keep warm and crisp; fry just before serving.

Bamboo shoots (menma): drain and warm in a small saucepan with a little tare or broth for 2–3 minutes.

Corn: if frozen, blanch in boiling water 1–2 minutes and drain; if fresh, quickly sauté or blanch to sweeten.

Zucchini: slice into thin half-moons and quickly sauté in a skillet with a small drizzle of oil for 1–2 minutes until tender-crisp, season lightly with salt.

Scallions: thinly slice just before serving.

Preheat bowls by filling with hot water, then discard water just before assembly.

Ladle 30–60 ml of the appropriate tare into each bowl (shoyu tare for tonkotsu bowl, miso tare for miso bowl).

Pour 500–600 ml hot broth into each bowl over the tare: tonkotsu broth into the shoyu bowl, miso broth into the miso bowl. Stir gently to combine.

Nest 200 g cooked noodles into each bowl, using tongs to form a neat nest.

Top each bowl with: one halved marinated egg (one half per bowl), 75 g braised pork cubes (arranged), 75 g sliced chashu (fan slices), two pieces shrimp tempura (place on side so batter stays crisp), 60 g bamboo shoots, 60 g corn, a few zucchini slices, a couple torn nori pieces, sliced scallions and a light sprinkle of toasted sesame if using.

Drizzle a few drops of sesame oil and optional chili oil over the tonkotsu bowl if desired. Serve immediately so tempura stays crisp.